Shannon McBain
Helping her mother heal
One day my mom drove to the doctor's office, and I thought it was an ordinary day. It was a surprising day because my mom found out from the doctor that she had breast cancer. At first, I didn't know what breast cancer was, so I read a book about breast cancer and learned what it meant. I then realized what my mom was going through. I felt badly because you can die from any kind of cancer. What if she dies? I asked myself. I would miss her! So, I helped my mom out whenever I could. Most of the time, I felt that my mom was getting all the attention. I said to myself, "You cannot feel that way because she is sick, and you do not know how long she will be with you." My mom is a good person and helps me achieve my goals. She tries to be a good role model. I appreciate that, and I would hate to lose that.
My mom felt sick while she was home and started to lose her hair. I cried because I never saw my mom feel so sick. There were some people that would stare at my mom. I would say to myself, "They don't know what she is going through — how ignorant." I love my mom. I hope she knows I love her. There were people that helped my mom and my family during her sickness. They were all so nice. I, too, helped my mom and continue to help her through every step in her life.
When my mom finished chemotherapy, I was happy. After chemotherapy, she went for eight weeks of radiation treatments. Occasionally, I would go with my mom to Boston. I saw people with hair and without hair. I would help out some of the patients; I kept them company while they waited for radiation treatment. I learned how to knit from one of the patients. That was fun. My mom and I would always go to McDonald's afterwards for lunch.
For kids out there who have a mom or dad with cancer, please take my advice: try not to waste days worrying about sad things; take one day at a time; life is too short; you will be just fine!
My special thanks to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Woman's Hospital for helping my mom feel better again. I am happy my mom lived!